Talking to the Moon
by StelenaIsMySunshine
Summary: AU/AH. Stefan can't remember and Elena can't seem to forget... See summary before chapter 1 for more details. This is rated T for now.
1. Don't Forget to Remember Me

**Talking to the Moon**

**Summary:** Stefan Salvatore and Elena Gilbert were best of friends nearly from the moment they first met as kids. Even at their young age, they seemed to be heading towards something more meaningful when Stefan's choice to put Elena's safety first, parted them seemingly forever. She had to leave Mystic Falls, vowing to never look back, but always did somehow when things got hard. She had considered calling Stefan many times over the years but never had and of course she has no idea that the sweet, lovable Stefan Salvatore she knew really doesn't exist anymore. A car accident had stolen away his memories forever – including the ones of her.

It isn't until years later that their lives collide again. Elena is happy to see Stefan but sadly he can't remember her. Will fate bring these former friends back together? Can they build something amazing out of tragedy?

**Please note:** This is very AU. Everyone is human in this. I had initially planned this idea for another fandom but thought it fit Stefan and Elena so much better, so here we are. Plus in Season 5, the writers had Stefan say that best friends can't be in love which I found completely insane. So I wanted to write a story that shows that _friends make the very best lovers!_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Don't Forget to Remember Me**

_Elena Gilbert wound her way down the street as she shifted her tattered backpack on her tiny shoulder and waited. Waited for **him** to arrive. She was eleven years old today and had seen and been through a lot in her young life. She was sure that all those experiences had made her mature beyond her years though and that **he** was going to accept and embrace everything she had to tell him. So what if he was thirteen and in junior high while she was just a lowly fifth grader? In her mind, that didn't change anything. She was truly in love._

_Truthfully, focusing on this guy was a great escape from her sad and lonely world. When she was scribbling his name in her diary, she could forget that she was just poor, orphaned Elena Gilbert. She could dream big dreams that she was sure would one day come true. She was sure of it._

_**She believed.**_

_She heard footsteps approaching and ran her fingers through her dark brown hair. Someone had once told her that her hair was her very best feature and now she was meticulous about taking care of it. She brushed her hair every night, a hundred and fifty strokes, even when old man Chumsy would have had her hide if he knew she wasn't really in bed like she was supposed to be. She didn't care though. He didn't scare her. His sons on the other hand, scared her a lot. Mr. Chumsy was just old and fat and balding and pathetic. He didn't look at her as anything but a burden whereas his fifteen and seventeen year old boys, looked at her like … like …_

_She shuddered and tried to toss aside her morbid thoughts. She knew he would be here soon because he walked down this street every day after school with his friends. She had noticed the pattern when she herself walked to the Chumsy place – of course, in the opposite direction - and they passed each other. She didn't much about him but resolved that today that would change. She was tired of being lonely. She needed a friend and a boyfriend like him would be even better. He would protect her from whatever lay ahead, of that she was sure._

_She took a deep breath and swung around, running smack into someone. She landed in a heap on the ground. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't –" An unfamiliar voice said._

_Elena rolled her eyes as he bent over to help gather up her stuff and pulled her to her feet. She watched the tall – in her mind - pretty boy and then noticed him pick up a piece of paper, one on which she had scrawled the words __**"Damon Salvatore + Elena Gilbert = true luv 4-ever!"** inside a big pink heart. She had made it during art class when everyone else was busy sketching bad self-portraits._

_The boy looked down at her and smiled a bit as he handed her back the paper. "I'm sorry," he said again. "I wasn't paying attention where I was going. I was looking for my brother –"_

_"Yeah, whatever," Elena said, waving her hand dismissively. "I was waiting for someone too."_

_"Damon, right?"_

_Elena's face flushed bright red, betraying her. "None of your business," she shot at him and to her dismay, he chuckled again. She wanted to hit him. "Who are you anyway?" she demanded._

_"Stefan. Stefan __**Salvatore**," he said pointedly._

_It hit her then. He was her beloved's brother!_

_She about died right there on the spot._

_XoXoXo_

_"Happy birthday, Lena," Stefan said, appearing at the quarry with a small plate of chocolate-frosted cupcakes. She was sitting in the dirt, dangling her long and skinny legs in the cool water._

_She looked up, surprised and startled to see him there. Today was her fourteenth birthday and while it would have been an exciting day for anyone else, it wasn't for her. No today was just like any other day really and she had the bruises under her shirt to prove it._

_She wiped at a betraying tear that fell from her eyes and watched as he dropped down beside her. "Yeah, happy freaking birthday to me," she said bitterly._

_"What's wrong, Elena?" Stefan asked, setting aside the little plate of cupcakes Cook had helped him bake. He went to slide his arm around her waist and she flinched._

_She quickly tried to shrug it off. "Nothing. I'm just a little pissed today I guess," she said. "Um, you're the only one who remembered my birthday." Not true. The Chumsy boys had remembered and also commented how beautiful she was getting as she grew up, how she was filling out in all of the right places …_

_She shuddered involuntarily and turned away as he studied her intensely with his familiar forest green eyes. She flinched even more as he slowly reached for the hem of her shirt and drew up the back of it. She heard him wince this time at seeing what must have been a maze of bumps, abrasions and bruises. Her traditional birthday beating had been a severe one this time – possibly the most painful one yet._

_"Oh, Lena …" He murmured and she held up a hand._

_"I know what you're going to say and no, I'm not going to tell anyone and you better not either!"_

_Stefan looked down at his lap. This had been going on for far too long. They both knew it and they both felt powerless to stop it. "Lena, please, let me tell my mom. She can help you …"_

_"I said no, Stefan! I said no. I can say 'no' if I want to, you know." She immediately jumped up, not noticing that she had overturned the plate of cupcakes as she took off running at a speed he had never seen before. He watched as the cupcakes hit the water, bobbed a bit, and then slipped under the surface like they had never been there at all._

_XoXoXo_

_Elena watched from the window of the small house as the cops pulled away from the curb with old man Chumsy in the back of the black and white squad car. A tear slipped down her cheek as she turned to look at the tall blonde standing beside her. "What happens next?" Elena asked._

_"We're taking you somewhere where you'll be safe," the woman said. Elena thought her name was Bethany but she could be wrong. She was like any other social worker to Elena._

_"What does that mean?"_

_"We found a new, safe and loving home for you upstate. We're taking you there tonight," the social worker said. "Pack your stuff and we'll get going now."_

_"What?" Elena cried. "I can't leave here. I have friends here. My best friend, Stefan …"_

_"Yes, I know. He's actually the one who reported this …atrocity."_

_Elena nodded. She had suspected as much. "Can I least go say goodbye to him?"_

_"There's no time, Elena. I'm sorry," Bethany or what's her face said. "But I'm sure he knows how appreciative you must be feeling."_

_Elena honestly didn't know what she was feeling or what she should feel. She just knew that she was going to miss Mystic Falls if only because her best friend Stefan was here. He had made this town a home for her, the first place she ever belonged and now she had to leave._

_Elena sighed as more pathetic tears escaped her eyes. "Can I at least write him a note?"_

_"Sure," the social worker said. "But make it quick, okay?"_

_"Okay," Elena said and she went into the kitchen to retrieve a piece of scrap paper from the junk drawer. Picking up a pen too, she quickly wrote a note and then handed it to the social worker. "You'll make sure he gets this right?" she said._

_"Of course."_

_Elena wasn't sure what to believe but she slowly and quietly followed the woman out of the house. As they got into the car, she refused to look back even as much as she may have wanted to._

Xoxoxo

**Summertime,  
Present Day**

Stefan couldn't sleep. He had a hard time doing that now. Ever since it had happened. Ever since the day his world had come crashing down.

Sweat clung to his bare chest as he made his way down the stairs and flipped on the desk lamp. He went to the kitchen and popped open a beer from the refrigerator. He walked back upstairs to his room and dropped down into the chair at his old, scuffed desk. He emptied the beer nearly in one gulp.

He opened the desk drawer and took out the little box that held all of his dead hopes.

He reached inside, feeling around for the small paper that he had read and crumpled up so many times that it now felt incredibly familiar in his hand. He grasped it and pulled it free, reading it over though he knew the words as surely as he knew the address of the boarding house or what day it was. It was dated years in the past and the big, hurriedly scrawled words were starting to fade but they were etched anyway in what was left of his mind.

_**Dear Stefan,**_

_**You know I had to go. You know they wouldn't let me stay here forever. I guess I should be mad at you for what you did but I'm not. Not that much anyway. I just hope – Well I hope you don't forget to remember me. I'll miss you and think about you always.**_

_**Sincerely,  
Elena**_

Again, he wondered who this Elena was. He had found this note a few years back when he was going through a stack of things from his old life. It had been buried amongst all of the clutter from a past he simply did not remember. He had planned to ask his mother about the letter but never got around to it. Now it was far too late.

But somehow this letter comforted him a little bit every time he read it. He wondered who this Elena was and what she had meant to him.

_Maybe one day he would find out._


	2. Before the Dawn

**Chapter 2: Before the Dawn**

Another sleepless night dragged on endlessly before him as Stefan paced the length of his room at the boarding house. His nerves were prickled and his thoughts garbled. He felt he would jump out of his own skin at any moment.

He was almost grateful when the sound of the phone ringing split the deafening silence. Then his eyes flicked to the alarm clock on the nightstand. The red numbers said that it was only 3:02 a.m. Nothing good ever happened at this hour. Of that he was sure.

He slowly reached for the phone and put it to his ear. "Hello."

Loud noises and honky-tonk music in the background greeted his ears. He heard sniffling. "Hello?" He looked at the caller ID. _"Lexi?_ What's wrong?"

"I am thinking of doing something really stupid, Stefan."

"Tell me what's going on. Wait, where are you?" Stefan was already grabbing for his pants. If Lexi was actually crying, then he knew it was bad.

"Outside Joe's Bar on Route 29," Lexi said.

"I'm on my way. Stay on the line with me until I get there. Swear that whatever you're thinking of doing, you won't actually do it."

"I won't…At least I don't think I will," Lexi cried softly.

His heart was slamming against his ribcage as he yanked on his pants with one hand, slammed his feet into a pair of sneakers and took the stairs down two at a time. "Please don't," he pleaded. "I can't lose you. You're my best friend in the whole world. Don't give up okay?"

"I am trying not to, Stefan. I am trying to hold on but it's only two weeks away-"

Stefan sighed as he pushed open the door, grabbed his keys off the hook, and ran outside. He jumped into his Jeep. "I know. _I know._ I shouldn't have let you out of my sight."

"Stefan, be serious. You can't babysit me all the time. Although I guess that's what I'm asking you to do right now." Lexi laughed bitterly. "Besides, you asked me to move into the boarding house, remember? And I said no."

"It's not too late to change your mind, Lexi. It's never too late until you do something …Something that you can't take back."

Stefan gunned the engine. As he sped through town, he hoped that he wouldn't get pulled over. Not that he would have stopped. Lexi needed him and he intended to be there for her. So many times he felt he had let her down, but not this time.

He was pulling onto the interstate in the next minute. "I'll be there in ten minutes, tops. You just keep talking to me."

"I'll try," Lexi said. He heard voices in the background. "Everyone's walking by me, staring. They think that I'll just another pathetic, fall-down drunk."

"You are not. Don't believe that. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. Your friendship – I would be completely lost without it… So I am asking you-"

"I know what you're asking me," Lexi said."You're asking me not to get in my truck and drive it off the Wickery Bridge."

Stefan cringed. "That's exactly what I'm asking."

"I shouldn't even be thinking of driving – after I drank so damn much but I don't care about anything anymore."

"Obviously you do or you wouldn't have called me."

"Stefan –"

"Don't give up, Lexi. We'll figure this out. It's always darkest before the dawn, right?"

Lexi chuckled bitterly. "Oh stop with the platitudes, why dontcha?"

"That's what they say."

"Whoever 'they' are."

"See this is good. Argue with me like you always do and the time will just slip right on by… I'm a couple of exits away from you now."

"What shall we argue about?" Lexi asked. "Oh I know. I would like to point out once again how terrible your hair looks now that you're letting it grow out."

"So you want me to cut it?"

"Hell yeah."

"I don't think I can. I am going for the Steven Tyler look."

"You so can't pull that off, Stefan. You are way too pretty. So cut it. Cut it like now."

"While I'm driving?"

"Don't be a smart ass, Salvatore. I mean, just do it soon. That greasy mop has got to go."

"How about this? I'll cut it if you do something for me in return."

"What?" Lexi asked warily.

"It won't be horrible, I swear," Stefan said. "It shouldn't have to be anyway."

He flipped on his turn signal and eased his Jeep off the highway.

"Name it," Lexi challenged.

"You come with me to a group."

"What kind of group?"

"Uh –"

"Oh_ that_ kind of group. I think I told you I'm not into touchy-feely shit like that."

"Me either. You know I can't express my emotions all that well but-"

"Hey, you're better at it than me!"

"Lexi-"

"Stefan, no. Keep your dreads; I don't care. I just can't go to one of those places and talk about my feelings."

"Even if I'm right there with you?"

"Stefan-" She broke off for a moment. "I hear your Jeep rumbling along. You ever going to get that fan belt fixed?'

"Maybe."

He pulled to a stop in front of the bar called Joe's and hopped out, leaving the keys in the ignition. He spotted Lexi and she ran to him. He opened his arms to her and she hurtled herself into them. He held her tightly for a long moment, feeling her whole body shudder with each sob.

"I don't want to cry anymore, Stefan," she said. "I don't want to hurt anymore. I want to forget everything."

"I don't think you want to forget him."

"Neither of us can say his name," Lexi said.

"I know." Stefan sighed. "But I think we need to talk about him sometime… I'll say his name if you do."

"It's going to hurt like a bitch."

"I know."

"Ready?"

He nodded.

"Okay…"

"_Stevie,"_ they said in unison.

"Stevie Branson _Salvatore,"_ Stefan said.

"I miss hm."

"God, me too." He held her tighter and they cried together.

XoXoXo

_**7 Years before…**_

"_Get the fuck out of here!" he bellowed at a nurse, heaving the nearest item – a bedpan – in her general direction. The nurse cried out in surprise and went tearing from the room._

_"Terrorizing the staff, huh?" A husky, feminine voice caught his attention. A statuesque blonde who was decidedly pregnant now stood in the doorway. She had a few bags in her hands and wore a saucy expression on her attractive, angular face._

"_That's what she gets for trying to give me a cold sponge bath," Stefan said snidely._

_The blonde snickered. "You are such an asshole."_

_"And you are … Wait, who the hell are you anyway?"_

"_Your guardian angel," she said. "Kidding. You seriously don't remember me?" Her bottom lip trembled faux-dramatically._

"_Am I supposed to?"_

"_Hell yeah! I'm your friend – scratch that, your __**best**__ friend, Lexi. Lexi Branson."_

_He shook his head. "Nope. The name doesn't ring a bell."_

_"Fair enough," she said. She walked into the room and deposited the bags on his rollaway table. She started to unpack them. The smell of herbs and spices hit his nostrils and his stomach involuntarily rumbled._

_"Hungry?" Lexi asked with a smirk. "Thought you might be. Hospital food sucks ass."_

_Stefan peered at the food as she opened the Styrofoam cartons. "You cooked it?"_

_"Do I look like freaking Betty Crocker?" Lexi sniffed. "No, I got it down the street. You and me used to go to Frankie's for dinner all the time. Best lasagna in town. Anyway, dig in." She plopped one of the cartons down in front of him. "Or should I say bon appétit? No, maybe that's French."_

_"Look, as much as I appreciate the sentiment, I don't know you from Adam. I mean maybe we were friends once upon a time but I don't remember you now. I don't need you trying to force me to be who I used to be. I get that enough from everyone else."_

_Lexi waved her hand. "You can be anyone you want to be, guy. I'm not going to try to make you a carbon copy of the old Stefan. You went through something I can't even imagine. Of course you're gonna be different."_

"_And that's okay with you? Because everyone else keeps telling me all these stories and anecdotes to try to jog my memory so I can be who they want me to be."_

"_Hey, I have some stories worth telling, true, but the good thing is that you and me can make new memories." Lexi flopped down into the chair next to him. She was confidant; he'd give her that much._

_His eyes came to rest on her protruding belly. "Is that-"_

"_Is this your kid, you mean?"_

"_Well-"_

"_No. We tried the dating thing awhile back until I realized something."_

_"What?"_

_"I have absolutely no sexual attraction to you."_

"_Gee, thanks."_

"_Don't get all huffy. It was mutual. So no, we never slept together. Don't worry." She rubbed her stomach. "His father, who I 'affectionately' call The Sperm Donor, wants nothing to do with me or him."_

_"I'm - I'm sorry," Stefan said, finding himself feeling empathy for this woman. It was the first time since he woke up four days ago that he had felt anything but anger._

"_Don't be, I'm not. I figure that I'm the lucky one. I get a kid out of the deal who I know is going to be amazing. It's The Sperm Donor's loss."_

_Stefan nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right."_

"I _**know**__ I am." Lexi smirked. "So are you going to eat or do I have to feed you?"_

_Stefan shook his head. "Don't even think about it." Then he speared a bite of lasagna and stuck it in his mouth._

_XoXoXo_

_Stefan looked at Lexi as she sat in the hospital bed. It was her turn to be the patient though she was, of course, here for very different reasons._

_An adorably chubby baby rested in the crook of her right arm. "He's damned cute huh?" Lexi said._

_Stefan nodded. "Yeah. He's adorable. Did you pick a name for him yet?"_

_Lexi nodded as she traced the curve of her son's soft pink lips. The baby gurgled in his sleep. "Yeah, I did. It's Stefan. __**Stevie**__ for short."_

_Stefan's eyes went wide. "Really? I mean, I barely-"_

"_Yeah you barely know me, but guess what, Stefan, I know __**you**__. While I don't expect you to be the same guy you were before the accident, I know you're always going to be a decent, stand-up person. You've proved that over and over again. I want my kid to have the same values and good heart that you do. So whether you like it or not, this baby is getting your name."_

_Stefan laughed. "Okay, okay." He looked at the baby and touched his cherubic cheeks gently. "Welcome to the world, Stevie."_

XoXoXo

Lexi looped her arm around Stefan's lean waist as he guided her to the passenger seat of his Jeep. "Stevie adored you, man."

"I adored him too," Stefan said.

"I know. He always wanted you to be his dad, thus why he told everyone that his real last name was Salvatore. Thank god you never seemed to mind."

"I didn't. I loved him. I still love him."

"Me too. I miss him so much. Talking about him in the past-tense… it feels so wrong."

Stefan nodded. "I agree."

"I don't want to forget him, Stefan, but I can't keep going on like this either. The closer it gets to the anniversary of the day…"

Stefan nodded. "I know."

Lexi looked at him, grabbing a lock of his long, thick hair. "This mop really needs to go."

"You know my terms."

Lexi nodded. "I do. Something's got to give, I guess…"

"So you'll go to the group?"

Lexi shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."

Stefan closed the door after her and went around to the driver's side. He hopped in and instinctively buckled his seatbelt this time.

Lexi looked at him. "Thanks, Stefan."

"No problem, Lexi."

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews, favorites and alerts thus far. I truly hope you enjoyed this chapter. Elena will definitely be in the next one and we'll find out how she fits in with the story. I think I have an interesting way to bring Stelena into each other's orbit again. I will update soon!**


	3. Coffee Run

**Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows so far. How humbling and wonderful. Here's more. I hope it lives up to your expectations. Stelena meet … again. P.S. I gave the TVD college town where Whitmore is located a name. It's called Corinth.**

**Chapter 3: Coffee Run**

"Welcome to Corinth, Virginia," Lexi read a sign as Stefan piloted the Jeep off the highway and onto a quiet residential street. "Looks pretty dead to me." She cringed at the _D-word_. Would there ever be a day that she and Stefan could say that word without feeling sick or guilty about it? _Maybe,_ Stefan mused, _maybe beginning today._

Or so he hoped.

Stefan offered her as bright of a smile as he could manage. "That's because its summer and the local college has let out for the semester."

"Well, look at you; being all practical," Lexi said with a little laugh. Then her expression tightened as they drove down Main Street. "Are you sure this is a good idea? I don't really like talking about this kind of stuff."

Stefan nodded. "Me either but-" he sighed. "Maybe it could help and we don't have to share on the first night."

"What if I'm never ready to share?"

"Then that's your decision, but what if it helped?"

"It won't bring my kid back. And just because we all link hands and sing Kum-by-ya -"

"This isn't a camping trip, Lex. Nothing like that will happen."

"How do you know? You've never been to one of these things either… Or have you?"

Stefan sighed. "I never told you about it, but after my accident, when I woke up and didn't recognize the face I saw in the mirror … Well, my mother begged me to attend a grief support group with her. I emphatically said 'no' but she dragged me there anyway - even though I think I cursed her out ... a lot. Damn, I was angry and belligerent then."

Lexi smirked. _"Then?"_

"Ha ha. Anyway, I went once and there was very little touchy-feely stuff going on … and singing Kum-by-ya was completely optional."

"I had no idea… Why did you stop going?"

"I just wasn't ready then to face everything then."

"And now?"

"I think I might be. Besides, I have you to lean on and you can lean on me."

Lexi stared out the window as little shops zipped by. "Well I'm glad for one thing – that you picked a group that is out of the way. I don't want to see anyone I actually know."

"If we do, I probably won't recognize them anyway," Stefan said with a little smile. Lexi smacked his arm and laughed too.

"Ooh coffee shop coming up at five o'clock," Lexi said. "I need some caffeine right now or I'll jump out of my skin."

"Caffeine always makes you hyper."

"Just pull over," Lexi said.

Stefan nodded and finding a spot, pulled up in front of a little place called Café Tazza.

XoXoXo

Elena Gilbert's phone rang as soon as she had emerged from her little blue Jetta right in front of her favorite coffee shop. She knew the baristas and the manager here by name - and pretty much everyone who came there. She was addicted to the house special – frozen, slim mocha lattes.

She pulled her phone from her purse as she headed up the curb. She glanced at the number and smiled in spite of herself as she put the mobile to her ear. "Hey, Care."

"Elena!" Caroline Forbes crowed. "Just the best friend I've been wanting to talk to."

"Oh no."

"Hush, you," Caroline said with a laugh.

"So what's up?" Elena paused at the entrance to Café Tazza.

"Well, I met this guy –"

"No, Caroline, _no!"_ Elena said.

"Elena –"

"No more setups. Just because you are deliriously in love and nauseatingly happy doesn't mean that everyone else has to be too. I am not interested in whatever guy you have lined up for me next. No more blind dates. You remember what happened last time."

"How was I supposed to know that he was married?"

"I don't blame you but no, I am not interested in another round of that."

"But_ this_ guy is definitely single – single, _accented_ and hot as hell. He's also a total gentleman. He held the door for me at the market and –"

"Care," Elena said in a warning voice.

"C'mon, Elena, give Elijah a chance."

"Look if this _Elijah_ is as wonderful as you say he is, he would already be taken. So either he's hiding that he's already married like the last one or he's gay."

Caroline sputtered. "He is neither of those things, Elena. Why are you always so suspicious of every man's motives?"

Elena sighed. "It's just – never mind. The lattes are calling to me, Caroline. I'll call you later."

"Elena, come on."

"Oh no. You're breaking up. I can't – I can't hear you," Elena said and with a sigh, closed her phone and tossed it into her handbag. She loved Caroline like a sister but this wanting to set her up with every guy in town was beginning to wear on Elena's nerves. It's not that she was against the idea of being with someone, just after so many bad experiences, she was hesitant – no,_ very_ _cautious._

She finally yanked open the door of the café and walked inside. For some odd reason, she felt a little shiver wend it's away down her spine. It wasn't uncomfortable, just unexpected. She had no idea what had brought it on.

She strode purposefully to the counter and waited online behind a tall guy dressed in black jeans and a long-sleeved blue shirt. She heard his voice as he ordered and for some reason, it struck her as oddly familiar. Another telltale shiver zipped down her spine and she found herself being curious about this guy. He had a sexy back, yes, but it was something else. Something else entirely.

Matt Donovan, the manager, sauntered behind the counter then and waved her over to his section. Elena started to move to the side just as the guy in front of her was moving back. She tried to sidestep him but it was too late. He was backing into her. She screeched in surprise as the cup in his hand went flying towards her.

The guy quickly turned around, staring at her in horror as the coffee landed on her tan blouse and dribbled down the front of her gray pencil-skirt. It all seemed to happen in slow motion and she heard voices calling to her but they seemed far away. She didn't feel the burn of the hot liquid seeping through her clothes. All she felt was shock and awe. Standing before her was a man who she was sure was Stefan Salvatore. He had grown and matured in his looks – was handsomer than ever; but his eyes – those amazing forest green eyes - were still as intense as ever.

"_Miss, Miss?"_ he said. "Are you alright?" His voice was deep and husky. Wait, why was he calling her _Miss?_ Why wasn't he calling her _Elena?_ Why was he acting like she was some kind of kooky stranger with a bad staring problem? Did he not remember her? Maybe it wasn't Stefan after all… For some reason, her heart hurt at the thought.

She shook her head and blinked her eyes, trying to draw herself completely back to the present. Stefan – or the man who looked like a manly version of the slight boy she had known – had a handful of napkins in his hand. He was holding them out to her, looking at her with concern. "Are you okay? Are you burnt?"

Elena shook her head. "I don't think so." She felt warm and the skin of her wrists looked red but she was fine. She couldn't stop staring.

He locked eyes with her. "I am so sorry. I am usually not this clumsy."

"It's okay, I was … too close and not paying attention."

Just then Matt hurried over to her. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she said, tearing her eyes from Stefan and looking at Matt. "Just a little uh, damp."

She felt Stefan studying her. "I'm so sorry," he said again. "The least I can do is pay for your dry cleaning."

Elena looked back at him. "No, no it's okay. Really. Um, do you-" She started to ask if he thought that she looked as familiar to him as he did to her. She wanted to say she was Elena, the girl from his past, but before she could say another word she saw a statuesque blonde moving over to them. She hooked her arm through Stefan's and shook her head.

"Stefan, look what you've done," she said with a shake of her head. She was smiling. "Nice job. I give you 9 out of 10 for form."

Elena smiled weakly. Who was this blonde? Was she Stefan's significant other? And he _was_ Stefan because the blonde had called him that. There was no coincidence, so why was Stefan looking at Elena like she was a stranger? Maybe she was really never important to him at all. He had been her best friend, her _savior,_ and she was nothing to him now. The thought left her feeling bitter and put off.

Stefan flushed at the blonde's comment. "Funny," he said. He looked at Elena. "Are you sure I can't pay for the dry cleaning?"

Elena shook her head. "That won't be necessary."

Then she sidestepped them both and headed for the bathroom, telling Matt that she was going to clean up. When she returned, her eyes were a little murky but she could see that Stefan and his friend – lover? Whatever she was to him – were gone.

XoXoXo

Lexi and Stefan climbed into the Jeep, juggling their beverages. Lexi looked at him with a smile. "If you wanted to get her attention, you could have tried something – I don't know – a little less messy."

Stefan shook her head. "Truthfully, she kind of threw me off balance."

"So I saw."

"But the way she looked at me… Lexi, she looked at me like she knew me and the weird thing is, I think she looked a bit familiar too. Did she look familiar to you?"

Lexi shook her head. "Maybe she's a one night stand you had before we met."

Stefan shook his head. "Nah… I am sure I'm just imagining things."

"Maybe you just_ want_ to know her. She's really pretty after all."

"She is-" _beautiful,_ he thought –"nice looking, I admit that."

"Ask her out, Stefan."

"No," Stefan said. "I didn't come to Corinth to find someone. I came to find _something."_

"Peace."

"Yes."

"Think we can?"

"I hope so," Stefan said. He set his drink in the cup holder and then gunned the engine.

XoXoXo

Soon enough, Stefan and Lexi were pulling into a parking lot. A non-descript building that said "Community Center" on the door sat before them. They heard the pounding of basketballs against hardwood floors in the distance. There were courts and a track here, it seemed.

"Ready?" Stefan asked as he reached for the door handle.

"As I'll ever be," Lexi said. She finished her coffee and slowly followed Stefan into the building. They saw a sign pointing down the hall. It said "Group Support Room." Lexi rolled her eyes but said nothing. Stefan lightly hooked his arm through hers and they moved towards it.

When they walked in, they saw a group already assembled; an odd menagerie of people - a mixture of old and young and everyone in between. Grief hit everyone hard, no matter their age, Stefan realized.

A few people lingered by the refreshment table. Lexi and Stefan bypassed it and slipped discreetly into two chairs that were part of an arranged circle. Lexi looked jumpy and Stefan realized he had never seen her nervous, really. Grief had changed her – had changed _both _of them.

Soon the chairs began to fill up all around them. Stefan wondered what was going to happen now. He remembered that there had been a coordinator running the group he went to before; helping to open up and encourage conversation. But there seemed to be no one like that here. _At least that's what he thought at first._

Suddenly, a slender brunette darted through the door. Stefan saw that it was the young woman from the coffee shop. Except now she wasn't covered in coffee. Rather she was dressed in a soft, cream-colored a-line skirt and matching jacket. "Hi, everyone. I'm sorry I'm late. I had a bit of a mishap at-" She broke off as she spotted Stefan and Lexi sitting there. Her big doe eyes seemed to sear Stefan. He shifted on his seat.

She pulled a chair into the group and coughed nervously. "Anyway, let's begin. It seems we have some new members here tonight. My name is Elena," she said, not looking exactly at Stefan. "Welcome."

_Elena,_ he thought. _Hmm… Elena…_


End file.
